AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 7891 - Soon, passport authorities to verify applicant identity with Aadhaar database

In 2009, I became extremely concerned with the concept of Unique Identity for various reasons. Connected with many like minded highly educated people who were all concerned.

On 18th May 2010, I started this Blog to capture anything and everything I came across on the topic. This blog with its million hits is a testament to my concerns about loss of privacy and fear of the ID being misused and possible Criminal activities it could lead to.

In 2017 the Supreme Court of India gave its verdict after one of the longest hearings on any issue. I did my bit and appealed to the Supreme Court Judges too through an On Line Petition.

In 2019 the Aadhaar Legislation has been revised and passed by the two houses of the Parliament of India making it Legal. I am no Legal Eagle so my Opinion carries no weight except with people opposed to the very concept.

In 2019, this Blog now just captures on a Daily Basis list of Articles Published on anything to do with Aadhaar as obtained from Daily Google Searches and nothing more. Cannot burn the midnight candle any longer.

"In Matters of Conscience, the Law of Majority has no place"- Mahatma Gandhi

Ram Krishnaswamy

Sydney, Australia.

Aadhaar

The UIDAI has taken two successive governments in India and the entire world for a ride. It identifies nothing. It is not unique. The entire UID data has never been verified and audited. The UID cannot be used for governance, financial databases or anything. It’s use is the biggest threat to national security since independence. – Anupam Saraph 2018

When I opposed Aadhaar in 2010 , I was called a BJP stooge. In 2016 I am still opposing Aadhaar for the same reasons and I am told I am a Congress die hard. No one wants to see why I oppose Aadhaar as it is too difficult. Plus Aadhaar is FREE so why not get one ? Ram Krishnaswamy

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.-Mahatma Gandhi

In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.Mahatma Gandhi

“The invasion of privacy is of no consequence because privacy is not a fundamental right and has no meaning under Article 21. The right to privacy is not a guaranteed under the constitution, because privacy is not a fundamental right.” Article 21 of the Indian constitution refers to the right to life and liberty -Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi

“There is merit in the complaints. You are unwittingly allowing snooping, harassment and commercial exploitation. The information about an individual obtained by the UIDAI while issuing an Aadhaar card shall not be used for any other purpose, save as above, except as may be directed by a court for the purpose of criminal investigation.”-A three judge bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar said in an interim order.

Legal scholar Usha Ramanathan describes UID as an inverse of sunshine laws like the Right to Information. While the RTI makes the state transparent to the citizen, the UID does the inverse: it makes the citizen transparent to the state, she says.

Good idea gone bad
I have written earlier that UID/Aadhaar was a poorly designed, unreliable and expensive solution to the really good idea of providing national identification for over a billion Indians. My petition contends that UID in its current form violates the right to privacy of a citizen, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. This is because sensitive biometric and demographic information of citizens are with enrolment agencies, registrars and sub-registrars who have no legal liability for any misuse of this data. This petition has opened up the larger discussion on privacy rights for Indians. The current Article 21 interpretation by the Supreme Court was done decades ago, before the advent of internet and today’s technology and all the new privacy challenges that have arisen as a consequence.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP Rajya Sabha

“What is Aadhaar? There is enormous confusion. That Aadhaar will identify people who are entitled for subsidy. No. Aadhaar doesn’t determine who is eligible and who isn’t,” Jairam Ramesh

But Aadhaar has been mythologised during the previous government by its creators into some technology super force that will transform governance in a miraculous manner. I even read an article recently that compared Aadhaar to some revolution and quoted a 1930s historian, Will Durant.Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rajya Sabha MP

“I know you will say that it is not mandatory. But, it is compulsorily mandatorily voluntary,” Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Saba April 2017.

August 24, 2017: The nine-judge Constitution Bench rules that right to privacy is “intrinsic to life and liberty”and is inherently protected under the various fundamental freedoms enshrined under Part III of the Indian Constitution

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the World; indeed it's the only thing that ever has"

“Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.” -Edward Snowden

In the Supreme Court, Meenakshi Arora, one of the senior counsel in the case, compared it to living under a general, perpetual, nation-wide criminal warrant.

Had never thought of it that way, but living in the Aadhaar universe is like living in a prison. All of us are treated like criminals with barely any rights or recourse and gatekeepers have absolute power on you and your life.

Announcing the launch of the # BreakAadhaarChainscampaign, culminating with events in multiple cities on 12th Jan. This is the last opportunity to make your voice heard before the Supreme Court hearings start on 17th Jan 2018. In collaboration with @no2uidand@rozi_roti.

UIDAI's security seems to be founded on four time tested pillars of security idiocy

1) Denial

2) Issue fiats and point finger

3) Shoot messenger

4) Bury head in sand.

God Save India

Saturday, May 2, 2015

7891 - Soon, passport authorities to verify applicant identity with Aadhaar database - TNN

Soon, passport authorities to verify applicant identity with Aadhaar database

Tarini Puri,TNN | May 1, 2015, 12.46 AM IST

The connectivity is currently being tested by the ministry of external affairs at the Regional Passport Office in Delhi and is expected to be gradually extended to the entire country.

PUNE: The inter-linking of Aadhaar numbers with the passport issuance process is set to become a reality. The connectivity is currently being tested by the ministry of external affairs at the Regional Passport Office in Delhi and is expected to be gradually extended to the entire country.

Once in place, the new system will allow passport issuing authorities to cross check particulars furnished by an applicant with those registered in the Aadhaar database, including the biometric imprint. The ministry hopes that this added layer of cross-verification will add value to the process of authenticating the identity of citizens for issuance of passports.

Officials, however, clarified that citizens who are yet to get the Aadhaar card will not be denied a passport. The inter-linking is just a second layer of security check, officials explained.

The trial, underway at a couple of Passport Seva Kendras in the jurisdiction of the regional passport office of Delhi since the first week of April, is expected to conclude in the next couple of days. According to senior ministry officials, the system has been working satisfactorily, barring minor teething troubles. The ministry hopes to close all gaps before rolling out this upgrade at all its 37 passport offices across the country.

Detailing the process, Anil Kumar Sobti, director of the passport division, told TOI, "In a fully operational system, once an applicant provides his biometric imprint for the passport, the system will scan the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) server for its match. The applicant's profile registered in the Aadhaar system will be authenticated with the particulars furnished by the applicant sitting in the PSK for his passport, including his face and other details".

According to initial reports, the connectivity is quick and allows cross verification in a timely manner.

However, despite the cross-verification of credentials, no change is currently expected in the process of police verification which is carried out prior to issuance of the passport. Explaining its expected positioning, Sobti said, "The Aadhaar card will only make the authentication more reliable. As of now, there are no plans of doing away with the police verification for the issuance of the passport. In fact, the police verification will help to verify other particulars of the applicant, including his Indian citizenship and criminal antecedents. The ministry may consider changing this system if and when the passports office gets linked to the database of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS)".

Joint secretary in the ministry and chief passport officer Muktesh K Pardeshi clarified that Aadhaar will not be compulsory for securing a passport. "If the applicant furnishes an Aadhaar card along with even one other identification proof, and the details recorded in both are identical, then the confidence level of the passport issuing authority goes up automatically," he said.

Confirming the ongoing testing, Aman Puri, Delhi's regional passport officer, said, "All PSKs in Delhi are equipped with the necessary infrastructure for the new system. The trial is being conducted by the technical team of the ministry. The system will be officially rolled out not just in Delhi, but all other RPOs, once officials are satisfied with the test results".